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Who is Jesus?
Bread of God, Bread of Life
Part XX of the Series. Bible study on Jesus as the bread of life.

In this series we're talking about the names and descriptive phrases identifying Jesus. Thus far we've talked about Jesus as God, Lord, Savior, Christ, Creator, the Word, the Son of God, the life, the Light, the Lamb of God, the Firstborn, the head of the church, our high priest and King, (also see high priest and King), our Advocate and mediator, an Author, a Shepherd, and the propitiation for our sins.

In this article, we talk about Jesus as the bread of God, and the bread of life.

Bread: Metaphoric of Jesus
Physical bread does two things. First, it satisfies us by taking away hunger. Second, it gives us life in the sense that we eat and live, rather than starve and die.

Metaphorically speaking, Jesus is spiritual bread. He takes away our spiritual hunger by filling us up, giving us eternal life.

  • "'Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied'" (Matt. 5:6).
  • "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst'" (Jn. 6:35).

Work for the Food that Endures to Eternal Life
The day after Jesus fed over five thousand people, they sought Him again because of the physical bread.

Speaking to the people, Jesus tells them:

  • "'Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life . . .'" (Jn. 6:27).

Responding to Jesus' command, the Jews asked how to do the works of God. Then Jesus told them:

  • "'This is the work of God, that you believe in Him whom He has sent'" (Jn. 6:29).

It's important for us to learn this lesson. To obtain the food that endures to eternal life, we must do the work of God, which is believing in Jesus.

Jesus, the Bread of God
The bread of God, which comes out of heaven, gives life to the world.

  • "'For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world'" (Jn. 6:33).

Jesus is the bread from heaven.

  • "Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, 'I am the bread that came down out of heaven'" (Jn. 6:41).

As the bread from heaven, Jesus did His Father's will, and not His own will.

  • "'For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me'" (Jn. 6:38).

The will of God, sending Jesus to earth as the bread from heaven, was to raise believers on the last day, and give them eternal life.

  • "'This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day. For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life, and I Myself will raise him up on the last day'" (Jn. 6:39-40).

Therefore Jesus says:

  • "'Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life'" (Jn. 6:47).

Jesus, the Bread of Life
As the bread of God, doing the Father's will, Jesus is the bread of life. The bread of God and the bread of life are the same -- Jesus.

  • "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life . . .'" (Jn. 6:35).

People who eat the bread of life will be filled (satisfied).

  • "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst'" (Jn. 6:35).

And in the last day, they'll live forever -- they won't die.

  • "'I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and they died. This is the bread which comes down out of heaven, so that one may eat of it and not die'" (Jn. 6:48-50).
  • "'I am the living bread that came down out of heaven; if anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever . . .'" (Jn. 6:51).

Eat Jesus' Flesh, Drink His Blood
The bread Jesus gave for the life of the world is His flesh (Jn. 6:51). Therefore, we must eat His flesh and drink His blood to be filled, and have eternal life (Jn. 6:53).

  • "'He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. As the living Father sent Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also will live because of Me. This is the bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate and died; he who eats this bread will live forever'" (Jn. 6:56-59).

How do we eat Jesus' flesh and drink His blood? We do the will of the living Father, who sent Jesus as the living bread from heaven. In other words, we must believe in Jesus and obey Him.

  • People who do the will of the Father will enter the kingdom (Matt. 7:21).
  • The will of the Father is to believe in Jesus (Jn. 6:40).
  • To do the will of the Father, we must obey Jesus (Jn. 12:48; Heb. 5:9).

To be continued.